Bam Adebayo Expresses Support for Suspended Terry Rozier
Miami Heat All-Star forward Bam Adebayo has come out in support of Terry Rozier following his arrest for alleged involvement in a federal gambling-related investigation.
"You support him through and through," Adebayo, the team captain, said in Memphis, before Miami's game against the Grizzlies. "That's our brother at the end of the day. It felt kind of weird without him being here, actually, because he's the first person I get to talk to in the morning. He brings that great energy to our team."
“We stand behind him," Adebayo continued. "Full support."
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra also publicly supported Rozier.
"Terry is somebody who is very dear to all of us," Spoelstra said. "He's had a real positive impact on our locker room, and the staff and players alike, and that includes last year, when he wasn't in the rotation often times. We send our thoughts and our care for him as he goes through this."
At the season-opening game in Orlando on Wednesday, Rozier was not in the rotation, but he was in uniform on the bench, and eligible to play. There was no sign that he would be arrested by the FBI the following day.
"You're left with no other choice," Spoelstra said. "The league doesn't wait. It doesn't stop for you. ... You have to learn how to compartmentalize and focus on the most immediate thing. And that's preparing for an important game tonight."
On Thursday, Rozier was arrested at a hotel in Orlando, Florida. Also, former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones was charged in a separate but related illegal gambling case, along with six other people who were charged on Thursday. The charges accused the co-defendants of “turning professional basketball into a criminal gambling operation by using inside information to place unlawful wagers.”
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested in Oregon in connection with a separate but ”related illegal gambling case linked to an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia.”
Billups and Rozier were placed on immediate leave from their teams by the NBA.
